Guests of many hotels today consider Internet access to be more than an amenity. Business travelers often use the Internet to complete work assignments as well as to communicate with their home offices. They may also use it to communicate with their family members back home. Leisure travelers also frequently use Internet access services while staying at a hotel. They may use the Internet to plan daily activities or to stay in contact with business colleagues as well as other family members not participating in the vacation. Many guests further use the Internet for entertainment during their hotel stay such as for accessing online games or downloading videos and music. For all guests, the availability of Internet access service, and in particular high-speed Internet access service, is an important consideration when selecting a hotel. The availability of fast and reliable Internet access service can influence their decision to select one hotel over another.
In addition to expecting fast and reliable service, hotel guests further want an Internet access service that is convenient and easy-to-use. Guests need to be able to connect quickly to the Internet without the need to modify or reconfigure their computers to establish the connection or without the need to create and maintain different user accounts that support access to the Internet. Methods for accessing an Internet connection, however, can vary depending upon the type of network or service used by the hotel to facilitate such connections. Connection methods can vary not only across hotels' brands that are part of the same chain, but even across hotels of the same brand because of differences in the Internet access service offered by each individual hotel. In particular, authentication services may vary based on hotel or even a location within a hotel (e.g., wireless hot spot or hotel guest room).
For many hotel guests, part of an Internet access service that is convenient and easy-to-use includes convenience when paying for Internet access services. Because Internet access service is considered just one of the many services that a hotel may offer, guests expect to be able to use and pay for the service in the same manner they use and pay for other hotel services such as room service, entertainment services, or health club services. They should be able to place an order for the service and then pay for it using one of several payment methods such as adding the service to a room bill or charging it to a credit card.
Although hotel guests today have specific expectations about the Internet access services, meeting those expectations can be difficult. Many hotels use a property management system (PMS) to manage reservations, billing, and guest profiles as well as other accounting and property management functions for one or more hotels. A separate authentication server is used to verify the identity of users requesting access to the Internet service. Finally, the actual Internet connection is established through various devices and computers located through the hotel. FIG. 1 is an example prior art system for providing hotel guests with Internet access. A hotel guest 100 establishes an Internet connection 102 through a hotel access point to an authentication server 104. Communications between the authentication server 104 and PMS 108 for the hotel are routed through an Internet gateway device 106 at the hotel. Each Internet gateway device as well as related software may have been developed by different vendors or even by the same vendor but at different times. Therefore, there may be a multitude of communication interfaces or incompatibilities with respect to each gateway device that must be accommodated to permit communication between the authentication server 104 and PMS 108.
Although different systems are designed to provide specific features and functionality, the manner in which systems are interconnected and communicate with each other can have an impact on the Internet access service for hotel guests. For example, using an Internet gateway device to route communications between an authentication server and PMS can impact the service in several ways, especially when the gateway devices are purchased from different vendors. Each gateway device vendor may use different communication methods that when updated, require updates to each system that communicates through the gateway device. Certain authentication server or PMS updates may cause the need for updates on each gateway device. The use of gateway devices may increase the development effort required to provide the access services. Furthermore, gateway devices are often limited in power and memory and therefore, have limited ability to provide data or to manage unusual situations. The type of communications links that are commonly used to connect to gateway devices further limit capabilities related to providing Internet access to hotel guests.
The limitations of the gateway devices that are deployed as well as the connections can prompt numerous calls to customer service in which guests request assistance with authentication issues such as name miss-matches or posting problems in which charges are posted twice or not at all. The interdependence between systems can cause further problems. Most PMSs operate in a mode known as “night audit.” If information from the PMS that is otherwise needed to support Internet access is not available because the PMS is in night audit, another option for providing access is required. It may be necessary for a customer support representative to manually open a port to provide a guest with access to the Internet. In large hotels where the night audit process runs for several hours, support phone calls attributable to night audit lock out may represent as much as 25% of the total calls for the hotel per day.
Problems that compromise the guest experience such as interface inconsistencies or delays in accessing the service can be reduced by implementing a solution that allows for more customization and control over the software services provided by the devices in the network. Providing seamless Internet access services within a single hotel as well as across hotels within a brand or a chain requires communication and cooperation between the authentication and PMS systems that ordinarily provide unrelated features and functionality. Integrating an Internet access services network that comprises devices installed and maintained throughout each hotel with the PMS so that guests can access and pay for services in the same manner they purchase other services requires communication and cooperation between the PMS, authentication, and Internet gateway device systems. There is a need for a seamless Internet access service across hotels that does not require guests to modify or reconfigure their computers to establish connections or to create and maintain different user accounts that support access to the Internet, especially across hotels that are part of the same chain. There is a need for an Internet access service across hotels that allows guests to connect easily and quickly to the Internet and that supports various billing options. There is a need for an improved system and method for providing Internet access services to guests of a hotel chain.